paterson-movie

Paterson ★★½

Paterson, New Jersey has a rich history with poetry, including being home to Allen Ginsburg and William Carlos Williams. Jim Jarmusch’s Paterson is an ode to the poetry of life, told through the life of a Paterson bus driver, who also happens to be named Paterson (Adam Driver). He lives with his wife Laura (Golshifteh Farahani) and their dog, Marvin, a grumpy English Bulldog who seems to save all his love for Laura and none for Paterson. He wakes every morning (he needs no alarm, his body has its own set schedule) and drives the 23 bus through his hometown, before coming home, eating dinner, giving Marvin his nightly walk and visiting the local bar for a single beer. His ritualistic existence ticks by like the second hand on his favorite watch. He doesn’t speak much, which in a way is its own personality, and he has friends, including Doc (Barry Shabaka Henley) the owner of the bar he frequents. He’s likable and people feel comfortable opening up to him, but his own feelings and dreams come out only in his secret notebook, where he writes down poems that recount his simple, yet beautiful existence. Like a lot of Jarmusch, there is a good deal to admire here, but I found myself wanting, and less than interested. It’s 118 minutes feels much longer, and the film’s instilled quiet grinds its narrative to a halt – which may be the point, but its a point that did little for me. I’ll probably always be ambivalent toward Driver as an actor, but he’s doing some good work in Paterson, a very soulful performance that’s occasionally undermined by the aggression with which Jarmusch chooses to keep this film understated.

 

Written and Directed by Jim Jarmusch